Communities encouraged to hold “Girls Day of Code” on August 8

Sammy Lowdermilk and the team at the Tennessee Code Academy have designated Saturday, August 8, as “Girls Day of Code,” and they are asking communities across the country to hold special events for young women.

The organization, which launched its “100 Girls of Code” initiative in 2014, wants to bring increased awareness to the need to encourage more women to enhance their coding skills as part of the national emphasis on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

“We’re asking our own chapters, other organizations and individuals across the U.S. and the world to participate in coding activities on August 8th,” Lowdermilk said. The “100 Girls of Code” organization has 20 chapters across the country including six in Tennessee; three in Arkansas; two in South Carolina; and one each in Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina.

Thus far, Lowdermilk said about one-half of those have signed-up to host a formal event on August 8.

“We hope this day will continue to raise awareness about the need for diversity in computer science and technology industries,” he added. “By the end of the event, ‘100 Girls of Code’ will have served over 1,000 young women, ages 10 to 18, since June 2014. This is a great way to celebrate what we’ve accomplished in just over a year.”

Lowdermilk said the suggested format for the day is a four-hour web development course using Code Anywhere or Mozilla Thimble. Ideally, between 15 and 30 students would be involved in the targeted age group.

The “100 Girls of Code” has provided instructions on a special web page for those interested in hosting a class on August 8.

In addition to the formal programs, “100 Girls of Code” is also providing a way for individuals to participate through self-guided activities and webcasts. Click here to access those.